Stadium stays on schedule

While much of the sports world remains in limbo as a result of the pandemic and questions continue about the NFL’s ability to start on time, workers at Allegiant Stadium closed in on an important deadline and got a surprise message from Raiders coach Jon Gruden as a result.

The 65,000-seat stadium figures to be one of the crown jewels in the NFL and will be home to the Raiders as they begin the Las Vegas chapter of their legacy.

With a substantial completion date set for July 31, the project is on schedule despite a hiccup in financing that came as a result of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Because hotels and casinos in Las Vegas were shut down and took a major hit to the books, a tax passed by Nevada voters to help pay for about half of the $2 billion facility generated much less revenue than had been anticipated.

Not that it slowed down progress on the stadium.

As Gruden and his staff were putting together the final plans of what already figures to be one of the most unique and unusual training camps in NFL history given the conditions, workers at the stadium were putting the final touches on the Raiders’ long-awaited new home.

As they did so, they were greeted by a message from Gruden on the stadium’s giant video scoreboard.